Questions and Answers

Your Questions About Apartments For Rent In Queens

July 9, 2013

John asks…

How should i start planning my trip to London?

So, i’m going to London, England the summer after my senior year, and im wondering how i start planning my trip? I think that im just going to be by myself, and if someone does come, it’ll be my best friend. So, what should we plan out first? Like should we stay in a hotel, or rent an apartment or a house? Also, what are some attractions that we could go see? And where can we convert our money for cheap? Any information would be realllly helpful! Thanks!

Also, we are juniora in high school right now :]

Administrator answers:

Hi Melanie,

Britain is a great country and London is my favorite to live in. I’m an American who originally went over to Oxford to study and ended up staying in London for several years working. It was a culturally brilliant and wonderful time.

London is one of the more expensive cities in the world and finding short term housing won’t be easy. But it of course is not impossible. One of the better resources you can try out is Gumtree (http://www.gumtree.com/), they are like a UK Craigslist.

Generally speaking, a nice neighborhood in London can cost you upwards of £1,400 per month for a 1-person studio flat. Things get cheaper when you start sharing (if your friend joins) and if you move to less desirable places in London. In a medium-nice 4-person flat, I’ve seen prices around £500 per month. So it really depends on luck and research.

You can certainly try hostels if that’s your thing there’s a place called: Piccadilly Backpackers Hostel and it’s right in the heart of London. Immediately you are in Soho, Regent’s Street and London version of Times Square. I cannot tell you if it’s any good or not, but I used to work by the place so saw many people there.

The cheapest option could be couch surfing (http://www.couchsurfing.org/). This is a website that allows strangers to crash on others’ couches typically for a bit of cash and generosity. I have heard bad stories as well where people get money stolen or ripped off.

I think to properly enjoy London, safety is your biggest concern and as a young woman, I highly suggest you try and find a flat or a studio and pay the extra cash. With that said, you can always try living in a suburb too. For example, rent in Oxford was £200 a month for a 4-bedroom place. It’s only an hour’s train ride to London and it’s a wonderful place.

With that said, here is some of the fun stuff you asked for:
-Buy a Lonely Planet, it will help
-British Museum
-Tower Bridge
-British Library
-Buckingham Palace
-Windsor Castle (not in London) but the Queen stays here when she’s not at Buckingham Palace
-Stone Henge (near Bath, I loved this more than I thought I would)
-Borough Market

Food places you must try:
-Flat White coffee at one of these places: Flat White, Milkbar, Fernandez and Wells, Monmouth or Sacred (there are many locations to some of these and a lot of them are in Soho).
-Pizza Express: These are everywhere and my personal favorite is the Etna Romana based pizza. It’s spicy with Italian sausages and peppers.
-Do not eat the hot dogs outside the British Museum. They smell nice but they are not nearly as good as American ones.
-Pub Food and if you can make it to Oxford, make sure you eat at Big Bang (best banger’s and mash in the UK).

-If you can somehow find a person with membership, check out a private membership club like the Soho House or The Hospital. It’s a swanky place to buy fancy cocktails and hang out with some of the best media elite in London.

Money:
Get a Bank of America account and you can use any Barclays ATM without getting hit with a service charge. This is your best bet. However, if you don’t care about a few dollars here or there, just bring your bank card and plan on taking out £200 every week or two weeks for spending cash (depending on how much you spend of course).

Good luck and I hope you have jolly good time!

Michael asks…

I need tips for renting an apartment in NYC?

My Boyfriend and I are planning on moving in together in New York City. How much should we have saved up for our expenses, including rent, food, utilities, furniture, and anything else?

Also how can I get a good apartment that’s not overpriced?

Thanks everyone.

Administrator answers:

NYC apartments are VERY expensive. Think about Brooklyn Queens, parts of the Bronx. It takes a lot of searching and a lot of luck, but you can find a great place at a reasonable price.

NYC 1 BR average rent is $3000 mo. The outer boros $650 and up.

The rest is a matter of your taste. There are lots of used furniture stores, flea markets etc. The most important thing is to have jobs lined up.

Linda asks…

What borough is the best to live in for college students?

Hi !

Me and 2 other friends of mine, are currently in High School, we are going off to college next year. We need a cheap apartment but in a decent neighborhood to commute because room and board for our colleges are HELLA expensive. So I need people opinion as to …

What borough is the best to live in and what area?
Affordable decent areas for 2 bed room apartments?

Thank you!
You don’t have to be so rude. But yes, New York .

Administrator answers:

It would help if you named the city, but I’m guessing NY…. Sooo Brooklyn is right outside of Manhattan followed by Queens.
The Bronx has a rep. For being tough so I personally wouldn’t advise to rent their.

I don’t know about specific areas though :/
sorry!!!
Hope this helps

Paul asks…

Are there any nice affordable suburbs within a 45 minute commute from the Marylebone area of London?

I may be transfering permanatly from the US to a job in London soon. Specifically in the Marylebone area. I’ve never been to London before. I have no idea where to start looking for a home.

I have a family of 4, two small kids with one or two more coming in the future. I would like to within a reasonable commute to the Marylebone area, but would like to rent a 4 bedroom house, for between £1000-£1500/month. I would like to be in a safe area with good schools if possible.

From what I can see this won’t be possible to find in the city, can anyone give some suggestions on good suburbs to look at?

Administrator answers:

You’ll be very hard pressed to rent a 4 bedroom “house” for £1000-£1500/month in a good area – particularly if you want it to be so close to central London.

You’ll have to weigh up the advantage of moving further out of London, with the very expensive cost of transport to get into work. Also, factor in council tax when looking at wherever you’re planning to rent – as it varies by council and can add up to another £100/month, which the tenant is responsible for.

My strongest piece of advice would be to really think about all of the costs involved with where you move – as they’ll surprise you – and be prepared to make some genuine compromises about what you’re prepared to live without. That includes the costs of your family enjoying their time there, as I know friends (couples & families) who’ve moved to an outer suburb and end up spending large amounts of money on taxis or public transport to always travel miles for shopping and/or entertainment.

A lot of the inner London schools suffer from very poor educational standards and discipline – so choosing an area with a good school invariably means you’re paying extra, particularly for a house.

If your work is prepared to do so you HAVE to insist on being put up in a hotel or similar for a month or so whilst you look for your home – as you’ll never get the feel for it by trying to arrange anything from abroad. Shipping of your personal belongings to the UK and back when you leave are also musts, if they’re prepared to do it – as that’s very expensive.

Also, speaking the same language is deceptive, as the culture shock is always bigger than you imagine (advice you’ll see repeated an any and all expat forums). Don’t worry about asking for estate agents (realtors) to explain anything. They charge a lot, so should earn their money.

You might find a 3 bedroom flat (apartment) somewhere like Wimbledon/Southfields in the South-West for that money – and it’ll take you about an hour to get to Marleybone with train and tube. There are good schools out there, and you’re able to enjoy Wimbledon Common, Richmond Park, etc. With the kids.

You should also look at Putney, Clapham, Balham or possibly even Vauxhall – all South of the river “safe” areas with good schools and a young family feel. Your budget will possibly get you a three bedroom house or more likely part of a house and a little space. Queens Park in the North, not too far from Marylebone, has good schools and is a really nice pocket of London that often has good spaces (plus a little bit of a urban village feel) as well.

Most other parts of London that are within an hour’s commute to Marylebone, are either too expensive or aren’t very savoury and don’t have decent quality schools (e.g.: Elephant & Castle, Bermondsey, Kilburn, Acton).

A left-field thought would be to find a large two bedroom flat close in, where the kids can share a room and you can walk to work as well as enjoy the excitement of London without the high expense of public transport. For example, Bayswater would be twenty minutes walk from Marylebone High Street, and you’d have Hyde Park/Kensington Gardens as well as the West End all strolling distance away – so more fun for your wife and children, as the outer suburbs of London tend to be a little lacking in things to see and do! Maida Vale, also walking distance, is also an area you might be lucky enough to find a two or two and a half bedroom flat in your price range.

Failing all of the above, you could look at moving further out to somewhere like Dorking or Reigate in Surrey – which is a safe and nice area outside of London in the South. You might get a house for that price, and the local schools are very good. Your commute to Marylebone will be about an hour and a half door to door, and it’ll cost you around £25 per day for the train tickets.

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I’ve also just done a quick search for expat forums, particularly for Americans in order to have genuine comparisons. Listed below, but you should be able to find more if you like:

http://www.geocities.com/thetropics/shores/9910/

http://www.londonexpatriate.com/

http://www.expatfocus.com/expatriate-london

http://www.easyexpat.com/london_en.htm

http://www.moveandstay.com/london/info_info_for_expatriates.asp

Chris asks…

How much money should i save up for a apartment in Manhattan?

like a studio apartment in manhattan i live in oklahoma right now.

Administrator answers:

You should at least save up to $5,000.00 at the bare minimum:

First month’s rent and security deposit.

For purchasing food and other necessities.

Utilities for cable, telephone and electricity.

Prior to moving here, you should explore the job market since you did not mention what profession you are in. If you do own a car, parking and insurance can hurt your wallet a bit as well with a ticket for illegal parking.

Also we may suggest that you look in the outer boroughs like the Bronx, Brooklyn and Queens for places that may work within your budget. There are areas of Manhattan that are very expensive.

Richard asks…

Where to look for an apartment in New york City for college?

I am going to be moving to New York City in January dependent on if I get into the college that I want to.
The college that I have applied to is Pace University. I estimated that at MOST I can spend $1450.00 a month on rent and if its that much it has to be with utilities.. I just can’t spend over that.

I am open to basically anywhere as long as it is easy to get to downtown manhattan and is really safe.

Thanks.

Administrator answers:

I disagree with the idea that you should look at Inwood, but travel to Brooklyn or Queens is lengthy!

If you are attending Pace, you should look at Brooklyn! You will be MUCH closer to Lower Manhattan in the nearer parts of Brooklyn than you will be in Inwood, by far! Brooklyn is just steps across the water from Lower Manhattan, while Inwood is wayyyyyy up at the top of the island! Even Morningside Heights would not be as close to Pace as parts of Brooklyn.

Don’t worry about political distinctions. Look at the map!

And I also disagree that with the idea that the college will help you find housing. I sincerely doubt that! You could ask, but don’t count on it. They might have a board for people to connect with roommates, but that’s probably about it!